Forging roll adjusting means



Sept. 13, 1938. w. w. CRILEY 2,130,069

FORGING ROLL ADJUSTING MEANS I Filed Feb. 6, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l Fig.1

INVENTOR 1. 6 y/z MM 14 e Afr,

TTORNEY I Sept. 13, 1938.

W. W. CRILEY FORGING ROLL ADJUSTING MEANS Filed Feb. 6, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR \a/MA/A/V )4! 61911.58

A TORNEY Sept. 13, 1938. v w CR|LEY 2,130,069

FORGING ROLL ADJUSTING MEANS Filed Feb. 6, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jfig. 4

INVENTOR Y W/Zl/AM W CHI 15X,

Sept. 13, 1938. I w. w. CRILLEYI 2,130,059

FORGING ROLL ADJUSTING MEANS Filed Feb. 6, 1956 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR BY W/u/AM MICE/1.5),

A TTORNEY Patented Sept. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in roller forging machines or the like, and more specifically to a method or means of adjusting the forging dies or rolls relative to each other.

An object of this invention is to provide a means of synchronization of one of the die elements when the element has been moved radially with respect to the other die element.

A further object of this invention is the development of a roller adjusting means independent of the size or kind of tooth profiles.

Previously the die elements in roller forging machines had been driven by gears directly meshing with each other. These gears required special tooth profile which were abnormally long and loosely fitted in order to permit the limited radial adjustment between the die elements. As a result, excessive backlash existed between the engaging teeth. In modern forgings of irregular shapes, it is essential to maintain positive synchronism of the complementary die elements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which will eliminate the inherent backlash between engaging gears of the old conventional roller forging machines.

In the old method of adjustment, the entire load is oftentimes carried by a single tooth which may be sufficient to strip or permanently distort some of the teeth.

To eliminate the objections and difiiculties encountered in this older method of adjustment, the present invention has been designed with the thought of a substantially continuing contacting surface regardless of the radial position of the one die element with respect to the complementary stationary die element.

A further object of this invention is to provide a roller forging machine which may at all times maintain distances between the center lines of the engaging gears substantially constant.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a mechanism adaptable for a forging machine which will resist gear wear under constant use and which will reduce to a minimum the usual expense of gear replacement.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an attachment for a roller forging machine in adjusting the rolls, which attachment may be applied to the many types of such machines.

Further objects of this invention will become apparent in a consideration of the following specification and appended claims.

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing a typical forging machine with the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the adjustable bearing block taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a modification of the machine shown. in Fig. 1, illustrating how the roller driving gears may be increased in size for forming heavy forgings.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the forging machine indicated by I is shown comprising a base 2 on which are mounted a pair of substantially identical frame elements 3 and 4. These elements are provided with suitable openings 5 which are lined with bushings 6 for receiving bearing portions I of the fixed roller 8. One of the die elements as at 9 is mounted on the roller 8. Extending from the bearing portion I is a shaft portion II which is adapted to support a fixed roller driving gear I2.

As shown, the upper adjustable roller I3 is mounted in suitable journal blocks as at I4 on the upper portion of frame elements 3 and 4. The recesses I5 are adapted to receive the lower por-' tions I6 of the journal blocks I4. Thus the blocks are constrained to move in a vertical line by the walls of the recesses I5 and by suitable guide pins or studs I! which are threaded in the top of the frame elements 3 and 4 and which are located on either side of the recesses I5. The journal blocks I4 may be adjusted to a desired position by a movement of the adjusting screws I8 and fixedly secured in such position by tightening the nuts 2! on the studs I'I against the top of journal blocks I4.

In Fig. 2 the adjustable roller I3 including bearing surfaces as at I9 and a shaft extension as at 20 is driven by a collar 29 having a hub portion 23 which carries the adjustable roller drive gear 25 and a plate or flange portion 22 adjacent the outer face of the gear 25. The collar 29 is secured to the shaft extension 20 by a key as at 24. The adjustable roller die I0 is mounted on the roller I3 and is complementary to the fixed roller die 9.

The gear 25 may be additionally held and' clamped to the collar 29 by means of cap screws 26 which project through slots 21 in plate 22 and engage threaded openings in the face of the gear 25. A portion of the plate 22 may be cut away, as shown in Fig. 1, to provide space for the die lead adjusting means. This means includes a lug 28 farmed on the face of the flange 22 and having an opening for a pin 3| which pivotally secures an eye bolt 32 to the lug 28. The shank portion of the eye bolt 32 projects through a block, as at 33, which is pivotally mounted on the face of the gear 25 and is located eccentric thereto. The shank portion of the bolt carries suitable adjusting and locking nuts 34 on either side of the block to definitely locate and lock the gear 25 relative to the plate 22.

The gear I2 may be driven by means of a pinion as at 35 and the gear 25'may be driven by means of an idler gear 36 which is mounted on a shaft carried by the frame. This gear 36 is shown driven by the pinion 35. The adjustable roller drive gear 25 and the engaging idler gear 36 are positioned relative to each other so that the common tangent to the pitch circles of the two gears through the point of contact remains at all times substantially parallel to the line of movement of the journal bearing blocks I4 within the adjusting limits.

It should be noted that the gear 36 is preferably large so that a portion of its pitch circle and a portion of the pitch circle of the gear 25 coincides, for all practical purposes, with a corresponding portion of the common tangent through the point of contact of the two pitch circles within the limits of tangential adjustment of the gear 25 with respect to the gear 36. Thus the adjustment from maximum to minimum position of the roller I3 does not effect the proper engagement of teeth on the gear 3'6 and gear 25.

The dies mounted on rollers 8 and I3 may be of the usual semi-cylindrical shape. These dies must at all times be in perfect alignment or registration with each other and more particularly in the case of dies for forming irregular parts, such as cranks and articles having non-uniform cross sections.

When the die elements are changed for the purpose of forming different shapes, it is usually necessary to adjust the center distance between the rolls to accommodate the dimensions of the new dies. the following manner:

The nuts 2| are first loosened and the adjusting screws I8 turned so as to move the journal blocks I4 the desired amount. In this position the nuts 2| are tightened against the abutting portion of the blocks I4. 7

Referring now to Fig. 1, it will be noted that as the blocks I4 and roller I3 are moved, the gear 25 is moved simultaneously therewith. The gear 25 turns on its own axis because of the engagement with the gear 36. Since the gear I2, pinion 35 and idler gear 36 do not move during this adjustment, it follows that the die elements on the rollers 8 and I3 are out of alignment. In order to re-align or register the dies for the new relative position of the two rollers, cap screws 26 are loosened, and lock nuts 34 on the shank portion of the eye bolts 32 turned against the block 33 an amount suflicient'to exactly align the two dies. In this position, the nuts 34 and cap screw 26 are tightened to securely lock the gear against rotation relative to plate 22.

Referring to ,Figs. 4 and 5, the same mechanism as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, is shown provided with a wide faced pinion 31 or two pinions having normal width faces in place of the pinion 35, so that larger roller driving gears 38 and 4| may be used when heavier work is to be shaped. The idler gear 36 employed in this modification acts to drive the adjustable roller die in exactly the same manner as in the previously This adjustment is accomplished in described form. This gear 36 is in turn driven by the pinion 31. The axes of rotation of the pinion 31 and the gear 36 are also fixed as in the above modification.

It will be seen that the diameter of the gears I2 and 25 is limited, by reason of their alignment by the distance between the axes of the roller shafts. With this modified arrangement, the size of the gear 4| is limited only to a size which will clear the shaft I I. The roller gear 38 may be the same size as the gear 4|. This modification also employs the same roller lead adjusting means as shown and described above.

Although applicant has disclosed but two modifications of his present invention, he does not wish to be limited thereto since it may be apparent to those familiar with the art that other modifications and adaptations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in the hereunto annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a roller forging machine having a fixed and a vertically adjustable die, driving gears for operating each of said roller dies, said gears lying in substantially the same vertical plane, an intermeshing gear train having gears fixedly mounted in said plane and engaging each of said driving gears, said gear train including an idler gear engaging the adjustable roller die driving gear at a point substantially horizontally removed from the axis of the adjustable roller die driving gear, and means on said adjustable gear to effect relative rotation and positive locking between said adjustable roller die driving gear and said adjustable roller die.

2. In a roller forging machine having fixed and adjustable roller die elements, driving gears respective to the roller die elements for operating each of said roller die elements, an intermediate power driven gear meshing with one of the roller driving gears and having a fixed axis of rotation, and an intermediate idler gear meshing with the power driven gear and the other roller driving gear and also having a fixed axis of rotation, the intermediate gear which meshes with the adjustable roller gear being mounted on said machine so that the line of movement of the adjustable roller is substantially parallel to a common tangent at the point of contact of the pitch circles of said adjustable roller driving gear and its associated meshing gear, and adjustable means for positively connecting the adjustable roller die element and associated gear, said means including a collar rigid with said adjustable roller die and supporting the associated driving gear, and elements adjustably interposed between said adjustable roller driving gear and said collar for circumferentially adjusting and for positively interlocking the collar and associated gear in any position within the limits of adjustment.

3. In a roll forging machine, a pair of cooperating roller dies, shafts for rotatably supporting the roller dies, respecti vely, one of said dies being rotatable about a fixed axis and the other of said dies being rotatable about an axis parallel to and adjustable toward and away from said fixed axis in a fixed plane defined by both shaft axes, a die driving gear on the corresponding end of each shaft, intermediate gears meshing with the die driving gears, respectively, and with each other, said intermediate gears being rotatable about fixed axes, the axes of all of said gears being parallel to each other, the axes of the adjustable die driving gear and its associated intermediate gear being disposed so that the line of movement of the adjustable roller die is substantially parallel to a common tangent through the point of contact of the pitch circles of the adjustable die driving gear and associated intermediate gear throughout the limit of adjustment of the adjustable die, the teeth of the last mentioned gears remaining in proper mesh for substantially their full depth in all adjusted positions, and means operatively interposed between one of the die driving gears and its associated die for effecting relative circumferential adjustment between the die and gear and for positively locking the die and gear in adjusted position.

4. In a roll forging machine, a pair of cooperating roller dies, shafts for rotatably supporting the roller dies, respectively, one of said dies being rotatable about a fixed axis and the other of said dies being rotatable about an axis parallel to and adjustable toward and away from saidfixed axis in a fixed plane defined by both shaft axes, a gear train for operating both of said roller dies concurrently and consisting of four gears meshing in series, the end gears of the train being the die driving gears mounted on said shafts, respectively, and the remaining gears being intermediate gears which mesh with the die driving gears, respectively, and with-each other, said intermediate gears being rotatable about fixed axes, the axes of all of the gears in the train being parallel to each other, the axes of the adjustable die driving gear and its associated intermediate gear lying in a plane at substantially right angles to the plane defined by the axis of the die driving gears throughout the limits of adjustment of the adjustable roller die, whereby the teeth of the last mentioned gears may remain in mesh for substantially their full depth in all adjusted positions of the adjustable die, and adjustable means operatively interposed between one of the die driving gears and its associated die for effecting relative circumferential adjustment therebetween.

5. In a roll forging machine, a pair of cooperating roller dies, shafts for rotatably supporting the roller dies, respectively, one of said dies being rotatable about a fixed axis and the other of said dies being rotatable about an axis parallel to and adjustable toward and away from said fixed axis in a fixed plane defined by both shaft axes, die driving gears on said shafts, respectively, a pair of intermediate gears meshing with the die driving gears, respectively, and with each other, said intermediate gears being rotatable about fixed axes, respectively, the axes of all of said gears being parallel to each other, the axes of the adjustable die driving gear and its associated intermediate gear lying in a plane at substantially right angles to the plane defined by the axes of the die driving gears throughout the limit of adjustment of the adjustable die, whereby the teeth of the last mentioned gears may remain in mesh for substantially their full depth in all adjusted positions of the adjustable die, and adjustable means operatively interposed between one of the die driving gears and its associated die for effecting relative circumferential adjustment therebetween.

WILLIAM W. CRILEY.

'orm-rn'ioxi'n; or co'mrmio'xrum'f f Patent No. 2,150,069. d September 15, 1958.

WILLIAM w. CRILEY. It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line 2 claim 1, before the word "die" insert roller; and that the said Letters Patent shouldbe read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office;

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of November, A. D. 1958.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) 7 I Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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